


Strenght and Weakness

by WhisperingDarkness



Series: Wisps of Tales and Dreams [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Brothers, Gen, Introspection, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-01-16
Packaged: 2018-03-07 20:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3181511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhisperingDarkness/pseuds/WhisperingDarkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Perhaps that was how he could beat them. But that was not how Loki would beat them.</p><p>It was the principle of it. He didn’t need trickery to defeat them.</p><p>(Well, not any more trickery than was usual for him, in any case.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Strenght and Weakness

He wasn't a fool like the big blonde who liked to call himself his brother.

No, Loki was intelligent and he was well aware of his own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of his opponents.

The Avengers held power and skill, yes, but they were not altogether unbeatable. Every single one of them had their weaknesses. Kept apart, he could beat any of them, even that stupid but strong green monster when it was turned loose.

But they didn't fight alone, and that proved to make things… difficult. All together, they were not that easy to overcome. He had tried several times to divide them in battle, to beat them one by one instead of as a part of a team, but it had never worked. He could distract, capture or render unconscious one or two of them, but the others would band together, set any he captured free and proceed to make the situation rather untenable for Loki.

Perhaps it would have been easier to circumvent the entire issue, to put into action a plan that passed by unnoticed by these foolish humans running around with his- Thor. With Thor.

He was well capable of subtle, when the situation called for it.

And the Avengers could do nothing to stop him if they were not at the site of his attack.

It would be the wiser course of action, Loki knew, and without a doubt he would come out the victor. They would be too late to do anything and his broth- these so-called Avengers would finally be the ones to lose.

He was uniquely suited for working in the shadows, after all.

But. The idea just... rankled.

Perhaps that was how he could beat them. But that was not how Loki would beat them.

It was the principle of it. He didn’t need trickery to defeat them.

(Well, not any more trickery than was usual for him, in any case.)

Besides, what use was there in winning if his brother wasn’t there to witness it? Was that not ever his principal goal?

It was the way of Asgard; victory is not truly victory if it is not witnessed – and then thoroughly boasted about.

Loki wasn’t one to boast and the traditions of that world had seemed foolish to him even then.

Asgard didn’t matter. It was the past. It held no sway over him any longer.

But nonetheless... Nonetheless he would have his bro- Thor. He would have Thor there.

(He would have his brother witness it, see that Loki, not Thor won, ruled, and…

And?)

And he would win.

(Even he was not even entirely certain of the response he sought to elicit from Thor, but he knew he needed there to be a victory over him. Loki would accept nothing less.)

So he stood, all ready to launch an attack on the capital that would boldly announce his presence.

And ready for the imminent arrival of his foes.

(They would come, they always did.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the weekly Flash Fiction Friday prompt on Deviantart about 'commonly confused words' (500 word limit).  
> (All Ready / Already, Altogether / All Together, Apart / A Part, Passed / Past, etc.)  
> Heh, my first time writing Loki. Hmm...
> 
> Word count: 500


	2. Men of Iron and Men (and women) of Snow

His magic spread across the square, affecting his surroundings as far as the eye could see. The ground was covered snow and from the wintry ground sentient snowmen, and snowwomen, ascended.

Around him the mortals were confused, staring in wonder at the effect of his spell.

It was quite a sight, if he said so himself. It had been a while since he had used his immanent powers along with his magic.

The humans were uneasy – had noticed him and seemed ready to flee. Except…

Except the snowmen (and snowwomen) were not actually doing anything.

(Because Loki did not need them to do anything more than be – their presence, and his, would summon the Avengers and that was all he required. No need to put more effort in it than necessary. His conscience had nothing to do with it whatsoever.)

"Well, well, if it isn't Queen Elsa," Stark uttered, moments after he had landed with what the man surely thought was an impressive crash.

The other Avengers followed the Iron Man's lead and gathered behind him, keeping a slightly more cautious distance.

But Thor was not there.

(A waste of his time, wasn't it? Not that he wanted to see that stupid blonde, but Thor needed to witness…)

"Hey, this feels like real snow," Hawkeye muttered, his breath condensing in the air, "not one of those little party tricks then."

An allusion to his penchant for illusions, Loki supposed.

"Oh, they are very real, I assure you." He put as much threat, coldness and danger in his voice as he could manage. (It was a lot, he felt.)

Stark waltzed forwards, "Right, frozen princess, I'm sure we are all very terrified of your snowmen."

Loki gathered his magic and took a single step forward as well. He was very satisfied when this subtle threat was enough to draw a response from the Captain.

"Tony, get out of the way!"

"You should listen to your Captain, Man of Iron, it's a wise counsel. Do retreat." His sarcastic smile stretched into a self-satisfied smirk.

As expected, the arrogant human didn't follow his advice and did exactly the opposite: he preceded the rest of his team in an attack that was aimed at wiping that smirk of Loki's face.

His snowmen, and snowwoman, were suddenly not harmless anymore. And the snowballs they threw were made of more than just snow.

Three things happened:

One; Iron Man was sent flying into Captain America, both of them sprawling to the ground in a high-speed whirl of snow, scarves and carrots.

Two; Loki's magic swirled upwards from the ground, the snow floating further up into the air – like snowflakes falling towards the heavens.

Three; The people on the square witnessing this beautiful, magical sight cheered (most were also filming it on their smartphones).

"Hey, you're the bad guy. They're not supposed to be on your side!" Tony Stark called out, fully indignant.

Loki smiled in true amusement.

Perhaps it was not entirely a waste of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the weekly Flash Fiction Friday prompt on Deviantart about 'commonly confused words' (500 word limit).  
> Instead of just choosing one word pair of the list, I did most of them within these two stories. Heh...  
> Except for, amongst others, Lie / Lay.  
> That's somewhat ironic, considering.
> 
> Word count: 500


End file.
